The campus Police Department is establishing a student cadet program, beginning in January, with the expectation that the department will eventually hire the top cadet each year as a police officer.

"It's an opportunity for the police to work with the community, and build more connections between students and the department," Chief Matt Carmichael said. "There are a lot of students with interest in the Police Department."

The cadets will be a subgroup of the department’s Volunteers in Police Service, or VIPS. This national program is intended to make communities stronger, safer and more resilient to emergencies.

Today, a half dozen student volunteers in the UC Davis VIPS program help with administrative tasks around the department, pair with officers or Aggie Hosts on patrols and security tasks, and take part in ride-alongs, said Mary Macias, program coordinator.

"They get a flavor of the workings of the department," she said.

Cadets, unlike VIPS members, will undergo academy-like training with the Police Department, and could carry out tasks such as patrolling the central campus and checking on locked buildings. The cadets would carry radios to summon officers if necessary.

Carmichael said his plan for the cadet program is to admit 15 to 25 seniors who are due to graduate in June 2013. Cadets could earn up to two course credits per quarter, Macias said.

The department will pay for the top three graduating cadets each year to go to a police academy anywhere in California, Carmichael said. Of the three, the top graduate will be offered a position with the UC Davis Police Department.

The other cadets will have a "leg up" for jobs elsewhere, Carmichael said.

The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, will reimburse UC Davis for some of the costs of the cadet program.

The UC Davis Police Department already employs about 100 students as Aggie Hosts. They provide security at concerts and other events, and nighttime escort service for faculty, students and staff on campus.

Students interested in the cadet program or VIPS should contact Macias, memacias@ucdavis.edu.